Gas Main Break Closes Route 64 By Pheasant Run Tuesday

By Tuesday afternoon, crews sealed the lesser of the two gas main breaks that prompted Route 64's closure at about noon along and east of the Pheasant Run Resort.

According to a release authorized by St. Charles Fire Chief Patrick Mullen, at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, crews shut down the gas leak at 4051 E. Main St.

"... However Route 64 remains closed between Kautz Road and Route 59 due to the larger break at Powis Road and Route 64," the release states. "Traffic to local businesses in the closed area is being allowed. It is anticipated that work will continue" until 3:46 p.m. to 5:46 p.m on Tuesday.

The detour for the incident on the St. Charles side is either northbound on Smith Road or southbound on Kautz Road.

Mullen said in an earlier release that the closure began at noon due to two gas main strikes, one at Powis Road and Route 64 in West Chicago, and another at 4051 E. Main St., St. Charles.

Public safety personnel are on the scene awaiting work by Nicor crews to mitigate the situation, Mullen said.

Tuesday's gas main strike is the fifth noted incident in the Tri-Cities this summer:

On Aug. 7, workers putting in a fence on Batavia's West Side hit a 1-inch gas line. Nicor was able to repair the line and relight pilot lights.

On July 31, a piece of construction equipment struck a 4-inch high-pressure natural gas main along Route 25 north of Fox Glen Drive in St. Charles. Some residents were asked to evacuate.

On June 26, the Geneva Fire Department responded to a leak in a gas feed to a stove at 321 Stevens St. The address is home to several businesses, some of which briefly stopped operations during the incident.

On June 1, a construction crew struck a gas main at Route 31 and Red Gate Road in St. Charles, causing a Route 31 road closure and detour for several hours.